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Two weeks in prison for doctor who left man's body in North York parking lot

By LIZ EVANS SCOLFORO

505-5429/@ydcrimetime

Posted:
05/13/2014 10:59:53 AM EDT

Updated:
05/14/2014 10:01:34 AM EDT

Yelcick

A former Lancaster General Hospital doctor must report to prison on Friday, one day after his 49th birthday, to serve 15 days for moving the body of his dead lover to a North York parking lot.

John M. Yelcick, of 635 Willow Green in Manheim Township, outside Lititz, pleaded guilty April 2 to the misdemeanors of abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence

The body of 43-year-old David Sellers was found inside his car Sept. 17 in a lot at the corner of West 10th Avenue and North Beaver Street, according to Northern York County Regional Police.

Toxicology tests later determined Sellers died of an accidental methamphetamine overdose, according to the York County Coroner's Office.

Put body in car: Sellers was spending the night at Yelcick's home on Sept. 13 when he died. Yelcick put the body in Sellers' car, drove it to North York and left the car there with Sellers inside, Manheim Township Police have said.

The doctor told investigators he panicked because he suspected Sellers had brought illegal drugs into his home and didn't want to call 911 and get in trouble, court documents state. He also indicated he and Sellers were sexually involved, according to those documents.

Yelcick said he performed CPR on Sellers, who could not be revived, documents state.

On April 25, Yelcick was sentenced to 15 days to 23 months in Lancaster County Prison, and the judge ordered he be released after serving 15 days, assuming he doesn't misbehave while in lockup. He was ordered to report to prison on Friday.

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Yelcick also was ordered to pay $4,089 in restitution and a $2,500 fine, according to court records.

Lancaster County assistant district attorney Megan King, who prosecuted the case, said she was pleased the presiding judge "recognized the severity of the defendant's actions" and ordered prison time for Yelcick.

Department chair: He was a pathologist and was chairman of Lancaster General Hospital's pathology department. He was placed on administrative leave when hospital officials learned of the charges, a hospital spokesman said at the time.

On Nov. 1, Yelcick signed a consent agreement with the Department of State in which he agreed to voluntarily surrender his medical license.

The agreement states that if he pleaded guilty or was found guilty, the suspension would be indefinite "until either a further order is issued by the (state Board of Medicine), or until 180 days after the date that a sentence is imposed ... in the underlying criminal matter, whichever occurs first," the agreement states.

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